I’m feeling better today. The cold is just about non-existent. I’ve decided to go pick-up our train tickets in advance, trying to avoid a frantic rush on Friday morning. Since we’ve never traveled on the trains here in China, I want to scout out the station and get my bearings ahead of time.
I walk over to Taiyanggong Station to board the subway. My first stop is an area where I think there are many sporting goods stores. I’ve been looking for a cheap place to buy table tennis gear, and there has to be a spot somewhere in Beijing where there are a bunch of shops grouped together. I’ve scouted the internet for several months, and I think I’ve found the neighborhood. It’s not far from the Beijing Railway Station.
About half a block from the subway station, I stumble on my first table tennis shop. It’s carries all kinds of Butterfly gear, and exactly what I was looking for. After checking out the shop thoroughly, I continue down the street, and there must be 20 – 30 shops with sportswear, badminton gear, and table tennis gear within the next block. I knew this area had to exist. It just took me a while to find it.
The “Butterfly” table tennis shop
Some of the neighborhood sporting goods stores
Next stop is the Beijing Railway Station for our Friday tickets to Shanghai. I arrive after a short subway ride. I guess many of the Beijingers are already trying to get out of town because there are tons of people standing in line and sitting around on the ground, waiting for something? Heavily armed police are also abundant. With APEC in town, there’s great concern that there will be a terrorist attack in Beijing. I purchased our tickets ahead of time and have a reservation number. I just need to show someone our passports, and our numbers, and I should be able to get the tickets.
Beijing Railway Station
If only it were that easy! I found an area with machines for “internet ticket redemption”, but it won’t accept passports. I end up standing in a really long (and slow) line to physically show someone my passport. There is only one line for “English”, but it’s not “English only”, so there’s really no advantage, except maybe they’ll speak a little English when I finally get to the front.
The “English” line
As I stand in line, I begin to learn a few things. Many of these people are still trying to buy their tickets for the upcoming holiday, and there aren’t many seats left. A huge electronic board at the end of the hall shows the various trains/departures, and how many seats are remaining. The next four days are almost sold out, and there are many trains on the schedule. The people buying tickets are frantically searching for some kind of a ticket and it’s taking forever while they look. Many are walking away empty-handed. I’m also beginning to figure out I’m at the wrong station. Oops! I think I can still get our tickets here, so I wait out the line.
Finally I get to the front, and as expected, there’s confusion. First, I’m told “no trains”. Then I’m told, “only standing room”. I finally make the point, showing them my tour company print-out that I have a reservation #. The clerk leaves for a long time and eventually returns with a supervisor who eventually gets me the tickets. As I finish, I check to make sure, and yes, this won’t be our departure station. This is the Beijing Railway Station. Apparently most of the “bullet trains” go out of the Beijing South Railway Station. So much for trying to get my bearings and figure out the station layout ahead of time. There are 4 large railway stations in Beijing, and I guessed wrong.